Comelec exempts P20 rice project from poll spending ban

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections has granted the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s request for its P20-a-kilo rice project to be exempted from the election ban.

In Memorandum No. 25-07984, Comelec Chairman George Garcia gave the green light to its law department’s recommendation to approve the request for exemption of DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., regarding the agency’s rice program to be implemented until year 2028 with a disbursement amount of P5 billion.

However, the Comelec said the exemption comes with certain conditions.

It said “the exemption is prospective in application and the DA project should not influence the conduct of the May 12, 2025 polls.”

“It shall not involve in any distribution of ayuda or similar programs from May 2, 2025 to May 12, 2025 as well as medical and burial assistance,” noted the Comelec.

It also pointed out that “elective officials and/or candidates/aspirants shall not be present during the distribution of ayuda, TUPAD, AKAP, AICS and 4Ps in whatever nature or form.”

“The requesting party, including its personnel and partners, shall strictly and faithfully observe the guidelines submitted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)and other relevant agencies,” the Comelec said.

Fake news on rice

Malacañang warned the public yesterday against fake news about the quality of the P20 per kilo rice to be sold by the government.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said fake news peddlers are making it appear that the cheaper rice looks like animal feed.

“We are warning the public to be careful because it is likely that someone will sabotage this project,” Castro said at a press briefing.

She said the rice that will be sold at a cheaper price is the variety that is currently being sold in the market at P33 a kilo.

Castro said the rice that will be sold in the market and in Kadiwa outlets under the P20-per-kilo initiative has not yet been released.

“Let’s be wary of fake news peddlers who are destroying the project, destroying the President, destroying the hope, the aspiration of every Filipino,” she said.

Meanwhile, Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday expressed strong support for the national government’s initiative to provide rice at P20 per kilo to more Filipinos in all parts of the country, highlighting the potential of a rice subsidy program as a more effective alternative to direct cash transfers.

“Providing affordable rice directly addresses hunger and ensures that assistance reaches the dining tables of Filipino families. This approach guarantees that government support translates into actual food security for our citizens,” Romualdez said in a statement.

The Speaker’s remarks came in light of the DA’s recent announcement to pilot the P20-per-kilo rice program in the Visayas region.

Tiu Laurel confirmed the program would allow eligible families to purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per week at the subsidized rate.

Romualdez also pointed to Camiguin province’s successful implementation of a similar initiative, where collaboration between LGUs, the DSWD and local retailers enabled residents to access rice at half the usual price.

The Speaker commended Camiguin Gov. Xavier Jesus Romualdo and Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo for taking the lead in implementing the program, which has already helped hundreds of families buy affordable rice across multiple municipalities.

“The Camiguin model demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated efforts among national agencies, LGUs and private sector partners in delivering tangible benefits to the people,” Romualdez said.

Under the program, identified low-income households are issued ID cards allowing them to buy rice from accredited retailers at a subsidized rate – bringing the cost down by about 50 percent.

The discount is shouldered through a fund supported by local and national agencies, particularly the DSWD, while retailers are enlisted and supported to ensure a steady supply of quality rice at lower prices.

Candidates react

Senatorial candidates in the upcoming midterm elections had mixed reactions to the Marcos administration’s P20-per-kilo rice program.

Marcos’ senatorial bets under the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas defended the program as they barnstormed vote-rich Pangasinan yesterday in a bid to woo its 2.2 million registered voters.

“Regardless of when it happens, even if it was implemented last year, people will say it’s linked to the elections,” former senate president Tito Sotto said at a press conference before the campaign rally.

“You will never be able to please everyone. The important thing is to do what’s right, and do it. For the people’s benefit, whether there is an election or not,” he added.

Makati Mayor Abby Binay also refuted the idea that the timing was suspicious and the program was implemented for political purposes.

“Are we going to tell people that we’ll only be able to give them cheap rice after the election, because they’ll say we’re playing politics? That’s not how the government works. If you can provide it now, do it. You can’t wait for good timing. The government is already helping, and yet they’re still being criticized,” Binay said.

Former senator Ping Lacson said: “When you’re helping the poor and hungry, nothing is too late, nothing is too little.”

Former interior and local government secretary Benhur Abalos added that the cheap rice program was not rolled out for political gain.

“The President’s intentions are good and he has long wanted to do this. Now that it’s happened, he’s still being criticized. It just happened to coincide with the elections,” Abalos said.

ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo said the program has long been in the pipeline even when he was serving as social welfare secretary.

He also called for a review of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) to ensure the program’s sustainability.

“People have been asking for this for a long time. It was studied when I was still in the Cabinet. Now that it’s been implemented, some are saying it’s ningas-kugon. The best way to sustain this is to review the RTL,” Tulfo said.

For his part, Liberal Party senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan said the cheap rice program may not be sustainable if there is no government support for farmers to improve their harvests.

“There won’t be many who will benefit there. The key to cheap rice is through helping farmers and improving their yield. Price of rice is high because of lack of supply,” Pangilinan said at his campaign stop in Angeles city, Pampanga on Wednesday.

“I think it’s a stop-gap measure. We must be able to address the root causes. Lower rice prices will be workable in the long run, but may not be sustainable at P20 per kilo. Anything lower, at P30-P40 per kilo, will still be beneficial,” he added.

1 million MT rice imports

The country’s total rice imports totaled more than one million metric tons as of April 17, as the government expects the total volume to reach 3.5 million MT by end of 2025, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Plant Industry.

BPI data showed that 84 percent or 907,626 MT of the total rice imports came from Vietnam.

The rest or 16 percent of the imported grains came from Thailand, 78,223 MT; Pakistan, 69,627 MT; Myanmar, 13,057 MT; India, 7,625 MT; South Korea, 2,000 MT; Singapore, 1,200 MT; Japan, 16 MT and Italy, 0.768 MT.

In 2024, the total rice imported reached 4.8 million MT, with the bulk or 65 percent coming from Vietnam, with 3.6 million MT total imports.

On the other hand, National Food Authority (NFA) administrator Larry Lacson yesterday said the NFA has significantly increased its rice buffer stock, now equivalent to 7.56 million 50-kilo bags of milled rice, as the summer harvest reaches its peak.

Lacson said the higher inventory aligns with Marcos’ directive to ramp up palay procurement efforts and support as many farmers as possible.

He said as of April 24, the NFA’s inventory consisted of 10.1 million bags of palay (unmilled rice) and 1.2 million bags of milled rice, enough to feed the entire country for 10 days. This figure is the highest since the end of 2020.

“We still have about P12 billion allocated for palay procurement and we intend to maximize purchases during the ongoing summer harvest. This will support the government’s initiative to provide more affordable rice to Filipino consumers,” Lacson added.

Tiu Laurel emphasized that the successful implementation of the newly announced P20 per kilo rice program is crucial to free up storage space as the NFA accelerates procurement.

“In the past, the NFA was allowed to directly sell rice to the public, helping stabilize both supply and prices while managing its stockpile more efficiently. However, since the passage of the Rice Tariffication Law, the agency’s role has been limited to buffer stocking for calamity and emergency response. It no longer holds the regulatory functions essential to managing rice prices among others,” he said.

Tiu Laurel said that since the passage of the RTL and the NFA’s inability to compete locally with traders, the buffer stocks have steadily fallen to an alarming 41,285 MT, just enough to cover national consumption for one day.

He said the trend has since been reversed after the NFA Council approved a higher buying price of up to P30 per kilo of palay.

“Hopefully, we can identify a legal mechanism that allows us to move forward with the program – even without an exemption from the Commission on Elections – so we can finally deliver on this long-awaited promise of President Marcos,” Tiu Laurel said. — Helen Flores, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Jose Rodel Clapano, Bella Cariaso, Ramon Efren Lazaro